Dec 9 (Reuters) – About 200,000 people have fled their homes in eastern Congo in recent days, the United Nations said, as Rwanda-backed rebels march on a strategic town just days after Donald Trump hosted the Rwandan and Congolese leaders to proclaim peace.
In a statement released late on Monday, the U.N. said at least 74 people had been killed, mostly civilians, and 83 admitted to hospital with wounds from escalating clashes in the area in recent days.
Local officials and residents said the Rwanda-backed M23 group has been advancing towards the lakeside town of Uvira on the border with Burundi, and battling with Democratic Republic of Congo troops and local groups known as Wazalendo in villages north of the town.
The U.S. president hosted the presidents of Rwanda and Congo in Washington on December 4 for a ceremony to sign a pact affirming U.S. and Qatari-brokered commitments to end the war.
“Today we’re succeeding where so many others have failed,” Trump said, claiming his administration had ended a 30-year conflict that had led to the deaths of millions.
‘DO NOT FLEE UVIRA,’ SAYS REBEL COALITION
M23 fighters pushed toward Uvira on Tuesday after coming under attack by government forces, said Corneille Nangaa, leader of the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC) rebel coalition, urging fleeing soldiers not to abandon the town.
“You are Congolese… and Wazalendo soldiers. Do not flee Uvira. Wait for us to free you,” said Nangaa of the AFC, a broad coalition of which M23 is a part.
A Congolese army spokesperson could not immediately be reached for comment.
South Kivu provincial government spokesperson Didier Kabi said in a video message earlier on Tuesday there had been chaos in Uvira after rumours spread that the M23 were near, but that calm was later restored.
Despite the group’s intention to advance on Uvira, M23 leader Bertrand Bisimwa reiterated the group’s support for Qatari-led peace talks in Doha, where representatives from the two sides signed a framework agreement last month for a peace deal aimed at ending fighting in eastern Congo.
“Even if we counterattack, we said that there are no other solutions in the current crisis than the negotiating table, and we want to bring Kinshasa to the negotiating table,” Bisimwa said.
Reuters reported on Monday that the rebels had captured Luvungi, a town that had stood as the front line since February, and that fierce fighting was under way near Sange and Kiliba, villages further along the road towards Uvira from the north.
Rwanda denies supporting the rebels in Congo, although Washington and the United Nations say evidence of Rwandan backing is clear. Prior to the latest upsurge in fighting, the conflict had already displaced at least 1.2 million people.
Reuters could not determine whether the rebels had captured Sange. A local official and several local residents said they had fled ahead of M23’s expected arrival. M23 said it had captured the town. A Congolese army spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
The State Department said late on Monday that the U.S. was deeply concerned by the violence.
“Rwanda, which continues to provide support to M23, must prevent further escalation,” a spokesperson said.
In a speech to lawmakers on Monday, Congo’s president Felix Tshisekedi accused Rwanda of violating the commitments it made in Washington.
A senior Trump administration official said Washington was monitoring the situation, working with both Congo and Rwanda, and that “the president has made clear to both sides that implementation is what he will judge, and as he stated, he is expecting immediate results.”
(Reporting by Congo newsroom Writing by Jessica DonatiEditing by Peter Graff, William Maclean)
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